Newsletter Articles
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ARTS ADVOCACY
AA…The Other 12-step program

Hello, my name is Adele, and I am an arts advocate. (in the grass roots sense of the word)

Why is it that the mere mention of "arts advocacy" can send a collective shudder down the spines of even the most dedicated community theatre boards? After all, our role is to deliver quality live theatre to as many of our community members as possible, right? Let's leave the begging for dollars to the business-minded suits who know the game and are paid to play it.

The harsh reality is that we're all competing for the same dollars, not only against each other, but against many other worthwhile causes, and not only at our state level, but also with each state competing at the federal level. Somehow, somewhere, the game has been changed, and many of us find ourselves scrambling to stay in it.

Muskogee Little Theatre has been fortunate to have a board with its eye on the future, with the ability to anticipate some of the changes, and who has already taken action in the area of advocacy. We'd love to share some of the tiny steps we've taken in the area of advocacy, steps that have helped us grow and provided some unexpected results.

Step 1- Set your goals: Collectively, we want to be sure that our legislators understand the value of the arts in Oklahoma. We want to share exciting news about how our home state reaps benefits of having successful arts programs available to everyone.

Step 2- Educate yourselves in the area of arts advocacy. You can't sell it if you don't know it. It can begin with something as simple as typing the keywords "arts advocacy" into your favorite search engine. Remember when you read all of those interesting facts about the arts, they are not talking about other groups, they are talking about us, and what we are already doing.

Step 3- Continue to build loyalty with your patrons by providing quality productions and programs. This will play an important part in other steps.

Step 4- Develop the tools that will help you to measure your value in your community. Muskogee Little Theatre has implemented an "economic impact survey" that we ask our patrons to complete at EVERY performance in our house. This is only one example of many tools that can provide you with the information you'll need to be successful in A.A.

Step 5- Seize every opportunity to ask your patrons for their help by filling in a simple survey. We have discovered that our patrons love to provide non-financial assistance, and always eager to contribute.

Step 6- Measure cultural results: go beyond reporting the number of people who participate in your productions, as volunteers or as audience members. Find out why they value what you do.

Step 7- Measure social results. As part of the broader picture, we contribute to the image that our own communities put forth. The arts add flavor. The arts promote collaboration and teach valuable life skills that extend beyond the stage.

Step 8- Measure economic results. For every dollar of grant income that our organization received last year, it returned almost 20 times that amount to local businesses. An evening of theatre often includes dinner, or shopping. Our out of town patrons take advantage of their trip to see other local attractions. Every dollar spent translates into jobs within our community, and you will be hard pressed to find any business that can consistently lay claim to that kind of return on investment.

Step 9- Communicate results to your patrons, through newsletter mailings and website references. We are in the process of adding an 'advocacy page" to our website, that will help our patrons and volunteers learn the spinoff benefits of the work we do.

Step 10- Communicate with your legislators. They want the communities they represent to be successful, and they want to be able to make informed decisions. Provide them with tickets to your events, talk to them in other settings, share your results, and let them know that we need their support.

Step 11- Ask your patrons to let their legislators know the importance and value of your theatre. Provide them with telephone numbers, email addresses, and mailing addresses. A simple postcard available for mailing can go a long way.

Step 12- Network with other theatres to help strengthen the message. A consistent message being delivered across the state is more likely to yield results, come budget time at the Capitol.

--Adele McClure, President, Muskogee Little Theatre